CIM Training Week 8

Congrats to all marathon finishers! I know there were many races this weekend – some of the runners I coach ran at St. George, Chicago, and Portland.

Some weeks of marathon training are a challenge. Other weeks flow together from hard workout to easy run to long run well, with the sensation of feeling strong on each run and a sense of enjoyment to the hard work of training. This week of marathon training was one of the latter; I really enjoyed my runs and had a great hard workout and a long run that was better than I anticipated.

Oh, and we hiked in snow! And not merely a light dusting – enough to make me think, just for a moment, that the California International Marathon is a lot closer than just under 8 weeks away.

Monday: 9 miles easy

Ollie and I ran 8 miles with a short pick up to marathon pace near the end. After we finished, I quickly switched dogs to take Charlie out for a mile. Charlie was so excited to run and tried to sprint the whole time – it was so adorable.

This workout intimidated me a bit, although I was also excited for it because 2-mile repeats are one of my favorite workouts. I have changed where I do some of my hard workouts. While the long paved trail is beautiful, it requires a bit of a drive and can be a wind tunnel. After a really slow and easy warm-up, I ran this workout on a paved 1/2 mile loop (with warm-up and cooldown on the nearby trail). Initially, I worried would be boring, but the loop actually made it easy to get into a good state of flow for this run. I changed directions during the recovery intervals to keep it interesting and to prevent stressing one side of the body too much (the turns weren’t as tight as a track, but I do have a weaker leg).

I focused on my breathing and perceived effort. I was really pleased with both the paces themselves and the consistency of my splits, as all were within 5 seconds per mile of each other. The last set of two miles was my fastest! This workout was a really good workout.

Wednesday: 7 mile run & 30 minutes strength

I split my run into two segments, the first 3 miles with Charlie and the last 4 miles with Ollie. When Charlie and I descended into the bog, I noticed a light frost on the boardwalk. Frost! It was not enough to cause any issues, although I was careful with my steps and kept my cadence quick.

Thursday: 30 minutes Pilates

I usually select advanced level workouts from Pilatesology, as I’ve been practicing Pilates for about 10 or 11 years now. But as the fatigue of marathon training compounds, I need gentler workouts based on stretching. I did a 30 minute mat workout focused on stretching. It felt so relaxing to focus primarily on alignment and stretching, as if each muscle in my body loosened back up to normal.

Friday: 18 mile long run with last 4 miles at MP

After last week’s difficult long run, this was exactly the long run I needed. I simulated the California International Marathon course on this run by running hills in the first half and flat in the second half. The first 14 miles were at a comfortable, easy effort and the last 4 miles were at marathon pace – 7:47, 7:50, 7:47, 7:49. I felt really good on this run!

Saturday: 5 mile trail run

Trail running is hard. I do not possess the nimble feet to gracefully run over loose rocks without tripping, so I am significantly slower on the trails. Even with the difficulty, trail running is also fun.

Originally, Ryan and I had intended to run an easy six miles on the roads with Ollie. But the perfect crispness of fall weather and the changing leaves caused us to change our minds. Instead, we decided to do our easy run on the trails at Lord Hill in Snohomish. Ollie was beside himself with joy once he realized that we were running on rocky trails through a forest.

We only ran 5 miles because between the elevation gain and slower pace. I felt like I got in the equivalent of 6 miles on the road and was beginning to feel tired – I didn’t want to hinder recover after the previous day’s long run. Plus, we were both hungry!

Sunday: 2 mile hike

Ryan and I decided to drive down to the Mount Rainier area before too much snow accumulated. We were genuinely surprised – and excited – to discover upon arrival that snow had already fallen in the area. We drove up to Crystal Mountain ski resort to scope it out for ski season and it was as if we had time traveled forward a few weeks into winter.

The road for our first choice hike was closed due to damage from the September wildfires and snow, so we picked another nearby hike along the PCT. (You can’t hike with pets in the National Park, but you can hike with dogs on the PCT and in the surrounding National Forest.) We did not venture far onto the trail, but what we did see was beautiful. I opted for my hiking boots over trail shoes and they felt as if they had no traction upon the compacted and slippery snow.

Comments

I cant believe there is snow there already! It was like 85 degrees here this weekend and so humid for my run on Saturday. I rarely run on trails, but I think I would like them if they were more convenient. Great job with your training this week!

Yay for a successful long run (nice job!!) and for getting out on the trails! I’m so ready to get back on the trails. If only my foot would get on board with me running! But at least I got to hike yesterday. It was so humid and warm here. I can’t believe that you found snow. Crazy that it’s coming sooner than we think!

That snow is really beautiful. I’ve never seen snow like that in person and would love to. It felt more like August here and like a sauna, but it’s fun to look at your pics!

I’m kinda jealous that you have so many paths to do your workouts! We don’t have track access right now due to middle school football (football is king in the south especially Summerville) and it’s hard to find places on the roads to do them. Several of our paths are under construction and tracks just aren’t open to the public.

Great job on your 18 miler with 4 at pace, your race is really coming up quickly!

You should see it in person someday – it is really beautiful, especially the first snowfall. It’s great out here because you can see it in the mountains but then return to the city and not have to deal with the snow.
Thank you!

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Welcome to This Runner’s Recipes!

Hi, I'm Laura! I'm a distance runner, RRCA certified running coach, and outdoor enthusiast living in the greater Seattle area. Whether you want to run your first race or qualify for Boston, I'm here to help you achieve your personal best with training tips, coaching services, and nutritious recipes to fuel your running.